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Discrimination / Harassment

Worried about firing the only minority? Just follow your own rules

10/30/2013
Sometimes, irrational fear of litigation keeps employers from acting in their own best interests. For example, they may think discharging the sole minority employee will mean a lawsuit. Don’t let paralysis by analysis slow you down.

Headmaster’s harassment results in criminal conviction

10/30/2013
A Wake County jury has convicted the former headmaster of East Wake Academy in Zebulon of one count of sexual battery and another of assault on a female.

Rocky Mount restaurant can’t skirt religion accommodation

10/30/2013
Two corporations that own a Ken­­tucky Fried Chicken franchise in Rocky Mount face an EEOC lawsuit after they fired a long-term employee for dress code violations.

Sexually hostile environment: 4 red flags

10/30/2013
Tangible signs of a potentially hostile environment may be only the tip of the sexual harassment iceberg. Here are four red-flag areas you should monitor:

One negative move after complaint can be retaliation

10/29/2013
After an employee files an inter­­nal complaint, HR should review every reassignment or other significant job change. Even one negative move can support a retaliation lawsuit.

EEOC: Even Guardian Angel must honor settlement

10/29/2013
Pittsburgh’s Guardian Angel Ambu­­lance Service faces an EEOC lawsuit alleging it breached a previous settlement agreement with a now-deceased former employee.

Series of slights can add up to adverse action

10/29/2013
Ordinarily, it takes a discharge, demotion or other serious decision to support a ­discrimination law­­suit. Being fired, demoted or not promoted are so-called adverse employment actions. But even a series of minor employment actions can amount to an adverse action under the right circumstances.

One slur won’t create a hostile environment

10/29/2013
Courts don’t expect workplaces to be places of complete harmony—but they do expect employers to take complaints seriously. They want to see that bosses are disciplined when they make offensive comments.

Farmers Insurance sued for race discrimination in Fresno

10/29/2013
The EEOC claims managers at a Farmers Insurance Exchange office in Fresno scapegoated two Asian-American adjusters after an improper coding scandal came to light. It also asserts a white adjuster was fired in retaliation for cooperating with the EEOC’s investigation.

Madera farm faces charges of sexual harassment by bosses

10/29/2013
The EEOC has filed suit against Madera-based Zoria Farms and its predecessor company, alleging it fired several women after they complained of rampant sexual harassment.